


Forged Bonds

by Talesofwovensilver



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Accidental Baby Acquisition, Adoption, Alternate Universe, Canon Divergence - Captain America: Civil War (Movie), F/F, F/M, Gen, HP AU, I will add more/alter relationship tags as they affirm themselves in the story, I'm so happy I finally get to use that tag, M/M, Natasha has a son, Protective Natasha Romanov, before she was sterilised, but also some straight AU sections, dont be confused by the relationships tag, kind of canon divergence, major spoilers in the relationship tags guys, marvel AU, rewrite of one of my old fics, yeah I'm changing CA:CW because I can
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-16
Updated: 2018-07-22
Packaged: 2019-05-15 00:31:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14780225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Talesofwovensilver/pseuds/Talesofwovensilver
Summary: Natasha's history had always been a mystery. There's a lot of her that she keeps hidden, and parts of her past then even records won't show.ORNikolai Potter (Romanov) was given up the day he was born. Son of Natalia Romanova, Nikolai grows up in a different world to that which his mother operates in. For his own safety, and to give him a chance to become the person he is, rather than the person he would have to be. This is his story, and the stories of those that shaped him.(Just to clarify, this is a REWRITE of my story Forged Bonds on ff.net, I DIDN'T STEAL THIS IDEA, IT IS MY OWN, I AM JUST REWRITING IT)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I altered the timeline of the HP canon storyline to fit alongside the MCU to my liking, as I plan to involve Nikolai in both, though progressively the MCU one more as the story goes on.  
> I will try and put the date at the beginning of each chapter, so make sure to check if you want to know. If I forget to, just remind me.  
> This story starts with Nikolai's birth in 1997 (August). Natasha is 16 and four years older than canon. According to the MCU Wikia, Nat was born in 1984. In this she is born in 1980 (November). So she's young, but old enough to be sent on missions, and though 16 years old is young to get pregnant, it isn't planned (obviously) and I'm citing it as possible, as I'm also extending the time she's with the KGB and Red Room, so she hasn't been sterilised yet.

_August 3rd, 1997_

Natalia’s throat burned with repressed sobs which she figured might be her hormones combined with the exhaustion after the pregnancy and the birth. She hadn’t cried since she was first inducted into the red room. Her chest was tight with both anxiety and exertion. But she was trained to use her mind and stick to her mission. She had a goal.

She was far out of reach of the red room, but she needed this to stay secret, and for that to happen it was imperative she do this quickly. Which wasn’t turning out to be much of an option from her current situation.

From what she’d catalogued so far, it was summer here, but there was unnatural weather, cold biting winds which didn’t belong to this time of year, and dark clouds which made her senses spike up. Her long repressed innate magic responding to the thick currents of it that hung in the air.

In the necessity of getting out of Russia to a magical community that would be safe for the child cradled tightly against her chest, she had somehow apparated herself into a climate heavy with what looked like a conflict of some sort.

Natalia had retreated the moment she’d realised what was happening. The part of her that she’d locked away for most of her life resurfacing, making sure she protected the only life in the world she truly cared about safe. Her son’s.

She’d apparated as far back into the surrounding woodland as she could whilst still attempting to monitor her surroundings.

She was still aching and drenched with sweat after giving birth less than an hour ago. Still wearing the medical gown she’d been given. The baby in her arms had fallen asleep after she’d picked him up, singing as quietly as she could to lull him after silently creeping up behind the doctor they’d left in the room to monitor her and the baby. They had expected her to be too weak to do much after giving birth. They hadn’t expected her to wrangle her way out of the binds that held her to the bed, let alone do it silently whilst the doctor had been turned to her as he examined her crying child. She knew what would follow next, but that hadn’t been what had made her move.

She loved the child. The first person she was willing to love since her parents died. Even her memory of them was twisted and faint. The red room wanted to use him, and she would rather suffer the consequences they would bestow on her than sacrifice him to a horrendous future to save herself.

The doctor's body was on the floor of that room now. Killed with one of the scalpels that’s she’d seized from the tray beside him. The doctors were never the strongest. But normally Natalia was bound and the fear of what awaited her if she disobeyed forced her to restrain herself. That and her mother’s last frantic warning. Never to use her magic. Never to show it.

If she did all that awaited her was death and suffering.

For the first time, she’d ignored her mother’s warnings. She’d never learnt to use her magic as her parents and her ancestors before her. She’d been inducted into the red room too early on. But she knew if there was ever a time for her to risk misusing it, this was the time.

She’d pushed her magic. Forced it to push her and the quietened, warm, fragile baby she’d wrapped in the only cloth she’d been able to get (the dead doctor’s coat) out of that place, to somewhere he could grow up in a magical community hidden from the rest of the world. Hidden from the red room.

And she’d landed herself in the middle of two duelling factions of a magical community it seemed.

There were two sides from what she could tell. Some of the wand wielders were cloaked and masked, and they shot sinister green spells at their unmasked counterparts.

Natalia didn’t know what the spell was, but it felt sickening, and as she saw it hit one woman – who fell dead instantaneously – she moved further back into the forest. Making sure to watch her steps with her bare feet.

She glanced down at her child as he shifted in his sleep, brow furrowing and mouth parting. He had little wisps of hair on his head. She thought they were red like hers but there was still blood on him from the birth so there was that. Too late Natalia realised what was about to happen as he screwed up his eyes.

He started screaming and Natalia turned and ran.

She heard someone yell from behind her and then spells were shot and she recognised she was being followed.

Sticks and leaves and other things she didn’t care to look at dug painfully into her feet, almost making her trip. She wasn’t accustomed to running barefoot, but that was hardly going to stop her.

Ducking under a tree branch she tried to shush him. He had quieted down when she sang to him before, but she was running now and she wasn’t sure whether she’d be able to do both.

She resorted to humming instead and gently pressing a finger against the baby’s mouth as she registered he might be hungry. She felt relief flow through her as he started suckling on it rather than screaming and so she ran faster.

“Wait.” A voice rang out behind her. It was a man and he sounded almost desperate, but if anyone knew about deception it was her, so she didn’t stop.

Bursting out into a clearing, Natalia took a right and changed the direction she was running, halting when she heard the person behind her burst through. If she didn’t move he wouldn’t be able to hear which direction she took and hopefully he would just keep on going straight.

But as she listened she realised there were more footsteps behind him and they stopped as they entered the clearing. She prayed that the baby in her arms would stay quiet as she got ready to run again the moment they came in her direction.

She looked down at the little body cradled in her arms as she quietened her breathing. His eyes were almost closed and he looked almost intent as he instinctively suckled on her finger. She let the smallest smile cross her face. She hadn’t thought she’d ever get to hold him.

“James. Where did she go?”

“I don’t know. I can’t hear her anymore and she was fast.”

“Do you think she was a muggle?”

“Where would she have come from? There isn’t a hospital near here.” A third voice, female this time chimed in. That meant there were at least three people after her.

“How do you know she came from a hospital. She might have given birth alone. Or at least not in a hospital.”

“I caught a glimpse of a hospital gown.”

“What if the Death Eater’s got to her? She probably is a muggle. They’ll kill her and the child.” At least that sounded like they weren’t going to kill her. From the tone’s over their voices Natalia would hazard a guess they were the unmasked ones and were genuinely concerned.

She still wasn’t about to give away her hiding place though. The sooner they were gone the sooner she could find a safe place for her child.

Only then her baby boy seemed to realise then that they’d stopped running and he was still hungry despite the finger he was suckling on. He made a small noise as his eyes opened further for the first time, seemingly in confusion, though he didn’t seem to be able to focus on anything before he scrunched them up again as he began crying. They were blue. Like most babies were.

She readjusted him against her chest, reaffirming the hold she had on him, shifting her footing and started running again as the people behind her cursed.

“Hey! We can help! Wait!”

Thoughts raced through Natalia’s head. She needed to get the crying child in her arms somewhere safe and soon in order for the next part of her plan to work. Otherwise, the red room would never stop looking for him. The potential of a genetically enhanced child who was born that way who they could manipulate to be their weapon would be too much for them to give up. And if they found Natalia’s altered genetics didn’t carry down they would kill him anyway.

If these people chasing her were genuine, then that meant they were currently her best bet at getting him to safety. Despite the fact they seemed to be at war. They could at least get him somewhere safer than the red room. They seemed to be English, and that was far enough away a child put up for adoption around this time wouldn’t be a flag for the red room. But Natalia had wanted to give him to a family rather than plant him the system. There was a better chance he’d grow up in the magical community then.

Could she take the risk?

It turned out the answer was yes because she slowed her run when she realised they weren’t shooting spells at her. That was probably the best she was going to get when determining if they were safe.

She turned around to face them, her stance still ready to duck or flee if she was wrong.

There was a man with dark messy hair and glasses. He was stood at the front and was looking at her cautiously, hands raised as though to ease her, blatant concern on his face. She figured he was the de-facto leader as the other two stood to the side of him. Another man who had an expression of trepidation mixed with concern. Less outright than the man by his side. Probably the result of never knowing who to trust. The woman had tied back red hair and green eyes. Her eyes flickered between Natalia and the child in her arms. It was obvious she was worried about them both, but most likely the fact there was a new-born baby in the woods not far from what had only minutes ago been a battlefield. Though the sounds had died down now.

She realised they were young, and probably fighting for a cause they believed in rather than for a political reason. It made them safer bets than she’d thought.

“We’re not going to hurt you.” The man in the middle spoke and his voice was the same one that had called out to her.

“Then will you help me?” Her voice wavered. She knew she could have restrained it, but she needed these people’s help, and they would help her more if she let them see her as defenceless and desperate.

Not far from the truth currently. Though she would never quite be defenceless. Perhaps vulnerable would be a better word.

Natalia didn’t risk moving her gaze from the three people in front of her, but she did shift her son again, moving him up to her neck, hoping her pulse would help calm him.

“We can get you to a hospital.” The man spoke to her, stepping forward slightly.

Natalia shook her head, slightly swaying. The motion almost controlled.

“No. I need you to help me.”

“How?” The other man stepped up to his friend's side and Natalia realised she’d never met someone with silver-grey eyes before. But he was asking the questions she needed and so that fact was quickly discarded as unimportant.

Not having any time to find the right way to do this, Natalia stepped towards them.

“I need you to take him.”

All their brows creased with surprise and confusion. Shock perhaps.

“Your child?” The woman spoke, and that was what Natalia really needed. Because this she could work with.

She angled herself towards the woman.

“He’s not safe. Not where I’m from. He needs to be kept safe in a magical community. Grow like an ordinary child.”

“We’re at war here.” One of the men cut in. He was obviously trying to be gentle, but Natalia already knew that.

“I know. But he’ll be safer with you. Claim he’d a distant cousin or nephew. He’ll die otherwise.” Without giving the other woman time to pull back, Natalia pushed her son into the young woman’s arms (she barely looked twenty). Almost instinctively the woman cradled him, not wanting to drop the crying baby.

“Hey. Wait. Stop.” The longer haired man spoke. The other one was looking shell-shocked and she guessed he was in some kind of relationship with the woman for him to respond that way.

“He’ll die with me. Worse even. Please. Even if you have to put him up for adoption. You’re my only chance.” She knew guilt-tripping them was low. But she’s never claimed to be honourable, and if this would give her son the best chance she would do anything.

“Hold up. You have to explain.” The guy grabbed for her arm and she ripped it backwards. It seemed to surprise him enough that he didn’t try again.

“I don’t have time. You think if I did I would be doing this? I am desperate.” Her eyes were still trained on her crying son as her voice strained, her accent coming through finally from where she’d been trained to eliminate it.

The woman seemed to realise this and stepped forward.

“What’s his name?”

Natalia knew it would probably be safer for her not to name him. It meant she wouldn’t know and would be less likely to give something away about him. It would give him one less tie to her. But she couldn’t do it. She didn’t think she’d get to name him, and despite that, she’d already spent too much time in the dead of night when he kicked her stomach wondering what she’d call him in an alternate universe where she had that opportunity.

She considered his father’s name but decided against it. She’d wanted him to have a little piece of her with him. It was all she could give him.

“Nikolai.” She reached out to brush his cheek briefly, and miraculously he quietened.

She looked up at the woman who staring at her as though she didn’t know what to think.

She knew what she saw. A woman who was willing to give up her child to complete strangers she had been running from only minutes ago, but who had desperation in her eyes and her words. Who was trying to be distant with her son, because she was going to have to leave him, but she loved him and the tenderness broke through.

In the end, it didn’t matter. They didn’t have to know her or her reasons. They just had to take care of him.

“Please.”

The woman stared at her and then gave an abrupt nod.

“Lily!” Both the men exclaimed next to her, but it was enough for Natalia.

“Love him.” She kissed Nikolai’s head, revelling in him for one second before she stepped backwards.

“Thank you.”

She ignored the men as they made noises of protest and she commanded her magic to pull her back to the road closest to the red room, bordering the forest where she’d run to when she needed them not to suspect her of magic. They’d be searching for her now, so she was quick with what she needed to do.

It was easy to pull the nearest car to her. She’d done enough magic by now to not hesitate before she just forced them to speed up before halting next to her.

She killed the man who opened the door to yell at her by smashing his window in and stabbing him in the throat with a shard of glass.

Shoving him back into the car was easy, and then she managed to remove the gas tank after removing the back seat (she was lucky in that the car was old, so it didn’t take much) and using a spanner she found in the boot to lift up the metal covering it (she had to make it look like she did it, even if she used magic). She poured the fuel over the front of the car and ripped open the wires.

Quickly, she used her already exhausted magic to fashion some of the nearby dirt and grass into an imitation of a dead infant. She wasn’t quite sure how she did it, and it definitely didn’t look like Nikolai but Natalia felt bile rising in her throat at the sight of the seemingly dead infant anyway.

She placed the body in the car and started it up, watching as it set on fire, and speeding up the process so it looked as though it had already been burning for ten minutes at least.

Done, she collapsed a little way away from the burning car and retched.

They found her passed out there and woke her up before dragging her back to the compound, where they forced her to tell them what she’d done.

They suspected her of lying. Not willing to believe she’d killed the child. The chance of him being alive making them send people out to search anywhere they could think of. But they didn’t find him and eventually admitted the child was dead.

She paid for it of course. When she went under the knife for the sterilisation treatment it was particularly painful, and it was by far not her only punishment, but Natalia didn’t regret it.

Even if she never saw him again, her son was safe from those that would seek to use him and harm him, and with all hope, he’d be happy too. She’d done that for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I have NO IDEA how you blow up a car. Please, please don't call me out on that. I just guessed.  
> If anyone's doesn't understand why they didn't terminate the baby, it's because this is an AU where they experimented on Natalia, and so they are taking this as an opportunistic situation, to see if the experiments they carried out on her carried over to her child. If they had, they most definitely would have taken the child (who then wouldn't be called Nikolai) and raised him to be used as a weapon trained from birth. Meaning he wouldn't have lived any past life like the other red room girls, and therefore could likely be trained so they could eliminate the humanity from him completely. If he didn't have his mother's altered genetics, it's unsure whether they would have carried out the before mentioned process for a moral-less killer anyway, or would have just killed him. Either way, Natalia wanted neither for him and the reason she was willing to give him to Lily and James even though they were at war was because Nikolai wouldn't have to hide his magical abilities as she had and he would be hidden from the KGB/red room who didn't know those magical societies existed.
> 
> Review?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a short chapter, just forewarning you all.

_October 31_ _st_ _2001_

Upon realising Lily was pregnant, and after the suggestion of Albus Dumbledore, the Potter family had gone into hiding under the Fidelius Charm. The initial responsibility of being secret keeper was given to Sirius, until they agreed the safety risk was too much with Sirius being James best friend and therefore their obvious choice. So, they switched keepers to Peter Pettigrew.

Harry James Potter was born on the 30th July 2000.

And despite the severity of the situation and tension of the war they were in the midst of, the family tried to keep things light for their children. Both of them. They treasured them, and kept their friends close, knowing that you had to trust the ones you loved, or else you would trust nobody.

Trust was something they would learn was a novelty of which war did not afford anyone, not even them.

It was Halloween night when James and Lily took the risk of leaving the house for the first time in months, cabin fever having slowly been driving them to irritation and frustration. Remus was back from trying in vain to negotiate with the werewolves, and Sirius was worried about how closed off and hopeless he appeared, so when Peter had opted to stay and look after the children whilst James and Lily went to see about Remus – the man himself being badly ill and hurt after the recent full moon – the young couple had agreed and left their children with their old school friend. Someone the children could trust, and had known since they were days old.

Only they were wrong about that. The very man they had entrusted their children to was the one to give their secret up, in full knowledge of what it would entail.

* * *

Pettigrew shrunk a from his master as he entered the family home, tainting it with his presence. Wand moving to block the wards from letting the residents of the house through.

“The children Wormtail?” A raspy voice demanded of him.

Stuttering, Pettigrew obeyed. “The nursery, my Lord.”

Dismissing the pitiful man, the Dark Lord made his way to the nursery, malevolently leaving destruction in his wake, causing the quivering man to take the opportunity to transform into a rat and run away from the collapsing house.

Upon entering the nursery red eyes fell on the two children stood behind the crib. One just over a year old with small infantile qualities, messy dark hair and green eyes. The other was older, a four year old with curly red hair and deep green eyes. Both children were obviously scared. The elder child was holding onto his whimpering younger brother, a beaded bracelet clenched in his hand. A portkey. It would be useless.

Despite the three year difference between them, both boys were born only days apart. But the dark wizard was here for one in particular. The one born at the end of July.

Watching the two silently, the self-titled Lord Voldemort observed as he was watched back by a child’s green eyes. A child whom he might have use for after this. A magical child. He wanted to preserve the magical race after all, and a child who was reportedly an adopted magical - likely coming from a magical family - could be shaped in the right way to understand the true importance of blood superiority, if given to the right people.

With a motion of his wand and a non-verbal spell, the elder child went flying into the far wall, his defensive position rendered useless as he was flung hard enough for most children to be knocked unconscious, the crib following and shattering over him.

"Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort hissed. Two cries sounded. The wail of the unprotected infant as the curse flew toward him, and the desperate shout of his still conscious brother. But before the spell could impact, a flash of bright magic appeared around the crying baby. Not like the usual magic he witnessed and performed himself, it was similar, but subtly different, an exotic magic.

The curse struck young Harry's forehead but rebounded off him, the magic protecting him and propelling the sickening spell towards Voldemort.

The Dark Lord barely had time to move his eyes from the slumped, but still alive infant to his elder brother who lay in the corner with his arm outstretched, green eyes positively burning at him, before the curse hit him. It impacted on his chest and his blood red eyes flashed with realisation ( _power the Dark Lord knows not_ ) before he began to disintegrate. Leaving behind only a robe and wand, as the dark soul was cast into the farthest, most remote corners of the world.

* * *

James and Lily rushed home as they finally felt the wards fall. Apparating to their house they found it in flames.

Without a second thought they rushed towards the house. Their only though being to get to their children. Sirius and Remus who had arrived only moments after them hot on their heels.

They arrived at the nursery to the sight of Harry crying at the edge of the room, his forehead bleeding, as he tugged at the outstretched arm of his brother lying beneath rubble of a destroyed cradle.

Rushing forward, James scooped up Harry and tried to calm his hysterical screaming whilst helping to clear the rubble over Nikolai. Lily gently, but swiftly pulled Nikolai to her, desperate relief welling inside her at the rise and fall of her son's chest.

Sirius and Remus were quick to remind Lily and James they needed to get outside before the house caved in on them.

Once outside they were met by several Aurors and Dumbledore himself. After recounting what they knew of the story to Dumbledore, including finding the robe and wand of Voldemort on the nursery floor (something Remus and Sirius had had the presence of mind to levitate out of the house with them to give as evidence), the Aurors were despatched to locate Pettigrew, whilst Remus had to hold Sirius back from doing something rash by telling him the only thing seriously harmed in the incident has been the house. Which whilst not completely true, calmed the dog animagus down considerably.

Analysing the scar on Harry’s head showed a lightning bolt shaped mark, something which unrealised by the others present, Dumbledore knew to be the wand movements required to cast the killing curse.

“Young Harry here has been hit by the killing curse. However he did it, this young man survived the curse, and from what I can garner, may have resulted in the downfall of Voldemort.” Dumbledore’s voice was grave with seriousness, and also a rare sense of uncertainty, but also the relief of the realisation that – even if not permanent – the Dark Lord was gone, and they would be granted the chance to regain peace and the presence of safety in their community.

The young family took in shaken breaths, processing those words. Relief filled them at the words. Voldemort was dead. He was gone. They wouldn’t have to live the rest of their lives in hiding. The elation wasn’t there yet. The terror still far too prominent for that, and the knowledge that Voldemort’s death eater’s were still out there.

Instead they wrapped their arms around each child and let themselves hope they would never have to face a situation like this ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Voldemort scene, which I chose to give you guys this time, as it shows you more how I'm changing the story to keep Harry as the Boy-who-lived, but still having Nikolai as a main player, his love for his brother the reason Harry was saved this time around. This works because, even though it wasn't a sacrifice of love, Nikolai's magic is different to the others and so reacted to his emotions, letting him protect Harry without anyone having to die in the process.


End file.
